Joe Beck, David Sanborn - Beck & Sanborn (1975)

This album was originally released under the name Beck with the following cover art:

It was later reissued and renamed to capitalize on Sanborn's rising popularity. This CD reissue contains 2 bonus tracks. It's got both players trading licks over some funk-lite grooves from first-rate session pros and I'm digging it. I wish they had done more recordings together as this is every bit as good as Sanborn's peak albums (IMO) of the '80s.

Billboard, May 31, 1975

I would imagine that some of those buyers that were expecting Jeff Beck were pleasantly surprised when they gave this one a spin. It's more mellow than say, Blow By Blow, but it's in the same fusion vein.

Special mention of Don Grolnick, who plays a mean Fender Rhodes throughout. I recently dug this out of a used bin; I'd never heard of the album before then and I considered myself to be a Sanborn fan. I was completely unfamiliar with Joe Beck who has a fine sound in the style of Larry Coryell and Larry Carlton. I probably wouldn't have liked this in 1975 when I was 9, but if I had heard it in the early '80s when I was discovering Sanborn, it would have been a welcome addition to my collection. Shame I had to wait all this time. Chalk this one up to my continuing music education.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #140
• Billboard Jazz: #14
• CashBox: #187

Tracks:  Nothing to skip here. My favorites this time around are Cactus, Red Eye, and Cafe Black Rose.

The two bonus tracks, Ain't It Good and Spoon's Theme, are very much along the same lines except they aren't quite as well-written as the others. In other words, they picked the right songs to put on the album.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Timeagain (2003)
Love Songs (1995)
The Best of (1994)
Upfront (1992)
A Change of Heart (1987)
Straight To The Heart (1984)
Backstreet (1983)
As We Speak (1982)
Voyeur (1981)